Bryce Young Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

School: University of Alabama (Junior)

Position: QB

HT: 5’10

WT: 194 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #9

Young has all the unteachables that you want to see in a quarterback prospect. Pocket presence, quick feet, and an elite football IQ all were big factors into him being so successful at Alabama. It seems as if he is next to impossible to bring down, despite poor offensive line play in front of him all season. The play is never dead when Young is on the field. He has eyes in the back of his head and has a calming presence and poise when climbing the pocket. Young can make his reads without panicking too much about what is going on around him, which says a lot to his mental processing considering how poor his offensive line was in a stacked SEC. His ability to deliver the football to his receivers as accurately as he does while either on the run or under immense pressure is something that needs to be noted. Playing in the SEC, Young was going against as close to an NFL defense as you will see in college football, with a subpar offensive line the whole way. He has an excellent leadership ability and has a strong head on his shoulders. The mental side of the game that we see from Bryce Young is certainly the best that we have seen from a quarterback prospect in quite some time. His accuracy is also something of note. Some of the throws Young makes are placed perfectly where only the receiver can grab it and make a play with. Lastly, Young goes through his progressions very quickly and the game never seems too fast for him.

When it comes to potential pitfalls of Young’s game, his size and arm strength have definitely been an issue. While his size doesn’t seem to be an issue as of now, it will be at the next level, it is just a matter of how large the issue becomes. Young is listed at 6 feet but he is likely closer to 5’10. QBs in the NFL at that height are usually 15-20 pounds heavier than Young. While Young can certainly add muscle at the next level, his current size is a cause for concern in terms of durability and potential for injury. We see smaller QBs in the league like Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray have success but they seemingly can’t put it together for a full season. Those guys are also much more dense and have more muscle on their body than Bryce Young currently has.

If Young can put on some muscle and work on his deep ball production, he could be a franchise guy. There is no doubt that he has the brain to be an elite NFL quarterback, but the question is of whether or not his lack of size and elite arm strength will be too much to overcome.

Scheme Fit: Spread Option

Ideal Role: Starting Quarterback

Best Team Fits: HOU, LVR, IND

Player Comparison: Tua Tagovailoa

Player Grade: 89.6